Austin Race Thrills, But Traffic, Economic Impact of F1 Questioned

The line to board buses at 15th and Trinity Streets moved quickly late Saturday morning.

Nathan Bernier, KUT News

Almost 83,000 people traveled to the Circuit of the Americas track in southeastern Travis County today to watch German driver Sebastian Vettel seize the pole position for Sunday’s Grand Prix. And while the track has received positive reviews, transportation to and from it was not without a few bumps in the road.

“The track is fantastic. The transportation leaves something to be desired,” said Hal Merchant, who travelled from the Reno, Nevada area with his girlfriend Judy Ashton. “The bus ride’s 30 minutes, but you spend an hour standing in line.”

Merchant said he wished he could have parked out at the track, and drove half the way there before being turned back. He said he lacked clear information about where to find a parking garage. Circuit of the America’s website lists shuttle pick-up points, but doesn’t offer details on where to park your car.

But the line was moving briskly as shuttle buses picked up people from 15th and Trinity Streets, where ticket scalpers were hanging around and asking to buy extra tickets. A line of chartered buses stretched for blocks down Trinity and twisted east down 12th Street.

As people filed through the queue, Stuart Walker was selling official F1 hats for $35, and he said most people were only interested in one team.

“Ferrari, Ferrari, Ferrari. Half of Formula One is Ferrari,” Walker said. He travels around the world doing this, and has seen how other F1 cities handle transportation.

“The major cities we work such as Singapore, Montreal, there’s a metro or a bus or a train at the track,” Walker said. “Germany, parking is easy. Silverstone, miles of parking and also miles of shuttles from the train and the bus.”

At the Travis County Expo Center park-and-ride, there were reports of people having to wait up to an hour to find a place to leave their cars.

Travis County sheriff’s deputies were issuing citations of up to $500 to people who were dropped off near the track and tried to walk the final distance.

Downtown, about a dozen blocks are shut to traffic for Austin Fan Fest. Five stages have free music throughout the day. Pedestrians roam the streets stopping at various promotional booths run by brands like Pepsi, Pirelli tires, even Topo Chico mineral water. Food trucks are trying to sell meals. One area featured classic cars for sale.

“I love hearing all the different accents,” said Pflugerville resident Kathy O’Donnell, who was working as a guide near the Bud Light stage “Once you hear that accent, ‘Where are you from?’”

Circuit of the America organizers claim the four-day event will generate almost $300 million dollars in economic benefits to the Austin metropolitan area. But Ralph Gilmore, whose food truck Surf N’ Turf Po Boy is situated in the Austin Fan Fest area, says he hasn’t seen much of that yet.

“The restaurants and bars are wondering: there are so many people down here and they’re not eating or drinking. Where are they doing it?” Gilmore asked. “The last two days, I was just at my normal revenue.”

Today’s attendance was 82,710. Another 120,000 people are expected out at the track tomorrow.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport reported 17,000 people arriving by plane yesterday. On an average day, the airport sees 14,500 arrivals. There are also 47 private aircraft scheduled to arrive today, some of them personal jets owned by wealthy race fans.

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After a day of practice yesterday, it's qualifying races at the Circuit of the Americas today. That mean more Formula 1 crowds, as folks on Twitter are attesting. One issue at the COTA track is the lack of credit card acceptance. (If you're going, bring cash.) But it also means mounting excitement, both at the track, at the Austin Fan Fest downtown, and elsewhere. KUT News is compiling a Storify timeline of news, photos and reactions this Saturday. Keep refreshing this page for updates.

A version of this story first ran Nov. 16, 2012. Formula One events begin today at the Circuit of the Americas track. F1 doesn’t have a huge following in the U.S. – it’s only in its second year in Austin – and a lot of people may not know the first thing about the sport. Here's what we learned about the basics. First things first: what is the “formula”?

http://kut.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/121114-Bernier-F1-Ultra-Rich-Parties-MIX.mp3 Some of the 100,000 people expected for Austin’s first Formula 1 race have already started streaming into town. The international sporting event has a reputation of attracting the super rich, and already, the rumors are flying. One tale making the rounds is that a wealthy F1 fan, upon learning the Driskill Hotel was booked up this weekend, offered to buy the entire hotel . (Reached for comment, the Driskill had a good laugh upon hearing the story.) But truth can be stranger (or richer) than fiction. “We’re flying in our own celebrity DJ,” says Nicholas Frankl, an event promoter who with his sister runs My Yacht Group . They’re in town for F1 this week. “We have Lamborghini sponsoring the event. We have the most expensive Champagne available in America today, called Comte de Mazeray. It’s 24-karat gold-infused Champagne.”

The Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas isn't the only big event this weekend: event organizers have also launched the Austin Fan Fest this race weekend. Located in the Warehouse District downtown, the festival features music, food and drink, and lots of displays and promotions for Formula 1 gearheads. Photographer Filipa Rodrigues took in the scene Friday evening for KUT News. Take a look at her photos, posted to KUT's Flickr page .